Reported hate crimes jumped across Nova Scotia in 2020, most involving race

Numbers show 41 of the 55 reported hate crimes were motivated by race, ethnicity

Haley Ryan · CBC News ·

Reported hate crimes in Nova Scotia saw a major spike in 2020, mostly driven by incidents involving race, pointing to what many people of colour have said is a longstanding reality in the province.

Statistics Canada released new data last week on police-reported hate crimes across the country for 2020. Rates of hate crimes per 100,000 people increased in Nova Scotia by 70 per cent, the steepest rise in Canada.

There were 55 hate crimes reported in the province for 2020, up from 32 for the each of the previous two years. The vast majority — 41 — were motivated by race or ethnicity. The remaining were motivated by religion, sexual orientation or other reasons.

“My reaction is sort of twofold, you know — concerned on one end, but perhaps less surprised on the other,” said Timothy Bryan, an assistant sociology professor at the University of Toronto’s Mississauga campus who examines hate crimes, police responses and racism as part of his work.

Timothy Bryan is an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Toronto’s Mississauga campus. His work examines hate crime, police responses to hate crime, racism and Black Canadian experiences. (CBC)

A hate crime is defined “as a criminal violation against a person or property motivated by hate, based on race, national or ethnic origin, language, colour, religion, sex, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation or gender identity or expression, or any other similar factor,” according to the report.

There are also four offences related to hate propaganda and hate crimes in the Criminal Code, and judges can issue stiffer sentences for criminal offences, such as assault, that were motivated by bias, prejudice or hatred.

Of the 41 hate crimes involving race in Nova Scotia, Statistics Canada provided more specific detail in an email to CBC.

Most targeted Black people (13), while the next highest category of nine incidents involved “other” race or ethnicity. That grouping included crimes targeting more than one race or ethnic group, or a person who was not of Black, white, Asian or Indigenous background.

Throughout the history of Nova Scotia there have been “deep seated issues and concerns” of various forms of racism, especially anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism, said Bryan, who has lived in Halifax and taught at Dalhousie University.

The numbers provide a “concrete reality” that cannot be denied, Bryan said, which is valuable for marginalized groups that have not always been believed when talking about first-hand experiences.

With data like this, Bryan said the conversation can move away from questioning whether racist hate crimes exist, to looking at how the province can respond to it, better support victims, and create societies ultimately free from hate.

“Unfortunately, I think the reality for many is that when these kinds of issues are out of sight, they’re largely out of mind,” Bryan said.

“These figures … provide us an opportunity, I think, to have a conversation that perhaps some would like to avoid.”

There were six hate crimes targeting Southeast Asian, South Asian, Arab or West Asian people reported in 2020 for Nova Scotia, five targeting white people, and four against those who are Indigenous. In four cases the race wasn’t specified.

In Halifax alone, there were 16 reported hate crimes in 2020 versus eight the year before. Nine were motivated by race, six by religion, and one by other reasons.

A Black Lives Matter supporter is shown on the sidelines of a concert supporting the movement in July 2020 on the Halifax waterfront. (CBC)

The Statistics Canada report noted that 2020 was a time of social movements in Canada and around the world in response to injustices and police misconduct involving Black people and other groups.

There were 2,669 incidents reported nationally, up 37 per cent compared with 2019, which was the largest number recorded since comparable data became available in 2009.

While Canada reported 663 incidents motivated by hatred against the Black population in 2020, the highest number on record, the report noted Black people have historically remained among the most targeted groups.

Black people accounted for 26 per cent of overall hate crimes, more than double the next highest group, the Jewish population.

Nova Scotia followed a similar pattern: after Black and “other” ethnicity group, Jewish people were targeted the most of any religion in seven incidents across 2020. No other hate crimes against religious groups were reported to police that year.

• Police seek man in round brim hat over anti-Semitic stickers in Halifax

Like any form of crime statistics, Bryan said it’s difficult to know whether the higher numbers reflect more of these incidents taking place or are simply shining a light on activity that was there all along.

“But it is notable, I think, that we see a kind of enduring pattern, even in Nova Scotia, of certain forms of discrimination, of violence directed towards communities that is decades old,” he said.

The year 2020 also brought the COVID-19 pandemic and more open hostility to those of East and Southeast Asian background. The data showed a major national jump of 301 per cent, up to 269 incidents from 67 the year before.

In Nova Scotia, six hate crimes targeting Southeast Asian, South Asian, Arab or West Asian people were reported.

Christine Qin Yang, who is originally from China and has been in Halifax for the past 10 years, said she was “not surprised” to see the numbers since she has experienced anti-Asian comments herself.

She said international students have also told her about the verbal harassment they’ve gotten in Halifax on the bus, in grocery stores or walking down the street. But, many of these people don’t report the crimes because they don’t want to “cause trouble” and are worried about their immigration status if they go to police, Qin Yang said.

Christine Qin Yang says she has seen a shift in anti-Asian comments and incidents in Halifax over the past few years. (CBC)

While non-violent incidents, such as mischief and disturbing the peace, accounted for the majority of all hate crimes nationally at 57 per cent in 2020, Qin Yang said these types of crimes and verbal harassment are just as impactful as a physical blow.

These comments can change how people move around their own city, and disrupt their “mental safety,” she said.

In a time when Nova Scotia is pushing to increase immigration and welcome new Canadians to address labour and economic issues, Qin Yang said it’s important to become a more “welcoming community.”

That can start on an individual level by having bystanders speak up against racial abuse when they see it, especially for immigrants or international students who might not speak English well, she said.

“They may be in shock. It takes some time for them to respond to the attacker. So it’s important for people to speak up and to support them,” Qin Yang said.

More action needed from police, government: professor

Individuals should also speak up about racist jokes or comments they hear from friends and family, Bryan said, which can all too easily creep into other hateful behaviours.

Bryan said the numbers show hate crimes are “more mainstream in our society than we would like to believe” and require a more substantial response from every level but especially government and police.

Governments must invest in programs that not only keep marginalized people safe, Bryan said, but also provide opportunities for diverse communities to meet each other, build connections and dispel the myths that are often behind these incidents.

He said police need to create a greater understanding of how officers respond to these crimes, and encourage reporting. Even though there are spikes in numbers now and then, Bryan said the “vast majority” of hate crimes go unreported as people worry they won’t be taken seriously, nothing can be done, or they’ll come under more suspicion from police themselves.

Although statistics offer the opportunity to have these important conversations, Bryan said at the time it’s vital to not to lose sight of the real people behind those numbers.

“Those numbers are families,” he said.

“Whether it’s one or 100, whether it’s a 50 per cent increase or two per cent decrease, you know, if there are people who are made to live in … a society or a community, where they feel where they are hesitant to live as they are in the world, well that’s one person too many.”

Halifax police creating hate crimes unit

Const. John MacLeod, spokesperson for the Halifax Regional Police, said in an email that they take incidents motivated by hate toward a specific group “very seriously,” and have started additional training for officers to establish a new hate crimes unit.

He added that if someone finds themselves exposed to behaviour that is offensive, threatening or intimidating, they should report it to police to investigate.

“Even if the investigation does not find criminal wrongdoing in that specific incident, it is important to have it on record,” MacLeod said.

A spokesperson with the province’s Office of Equity and Anti-Racism Initiatives said in an email that the 2020 data reflects what they have heard from members of marginalized and racialized communities.

An all-party committee worked on legislation that will be introduced “very soon” to address racism, hate and inequity in Nova Scotia, spokesperson Chad Lucas wrote.

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.